New Years Eve 2005

Yesterday we went bobsledding. Maureen and Julia made a 50 MPH run.



Then a hungry deer visits the bird feeder.



Pretty fuzzy, huh?

Civil War in Iraq

It appears that the Kurds have been busy inserting thousands of militia members into Iraqi army forces, especially in Northern Iraq. They are laying the groundwork to take back the city of Kirkuk along with its oil fields. Kirkuk was a Kudish city before Saddam drove the Kurds from the city and paid arabs to settle in the city. The Peshmerga militia are an awesome military force that has been fighting since Gulf War I. If the Kurds pull off making an independent Kurdistan, does this mean war with Turkey? Then whose side would we be on?

We Are Under Surveillance

Rom-fay ow-nay on his-thay log-bay ill-way e-bay osted-pay in ig-pay atin-lay.

Security vs Liberty

Bush has always thought that being a dictator was easier than being a President. Evidently, he has been using the 9/11 attacks as an excuse to act as a dictator. Habeas Corpus, out the window. Secret prisons and torture, no problem. Arrest anyone I say might be guilty, we'll sort it out in 5-10 years, let's do it. Now some kind of super secret spying program has surfaced. He has been desperate to keep this program secret because he knows it's illegal. This program was probably leaked by some of the very people that are responsible for running it because they also think it is illegal and unconstitutional.

What's weird about this whole spying thing is that Bush has legal authority to authorize wiretaps on almost anyone, but for some reason he chose not to use the legal route. It's likely he chose the illegal route because whatever it is they are doing is probably so egregious that even the rubber stamp FISA secret court probably wouldn't have approved it. Bush claims he has congressional oversight but this claim is extremely exagerated. He briefed 4-6 congressmen in classified briefings such that they could not legally disclose or discuss what they were told.

So what is going on? One idea 'out there' is that ALL communications are being collected and analyzed for content by super computers. There is no way you could get a court order to do something like that. So 'watch what you say' in your phone calls and computer communications, because 'Big Brother' is probably watching.

If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen. -- Samuel Adams

Did Bush Violate the 4th Amendment?

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, an no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the person or things to be seized

President Bush, brushing aside bipartisan criticism in Congress, said Monday he approved spying on suspected terrorists without court orders because it was "a necessary part of my job to protect" Americans from attack

Let's have a poll. Yes or No?

Ski Jump and Bobsled/Luge Run

The ski jumps are obvious. Upper left is bobsled/luge run.

Twas The Week Before Christmas by Congressman John Dingell

I found this very amusing and also very telling.

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the House
No bills were passed ‘bout which Fox News could grouse;
Tax cuts for the wealthy were passed with great cheer,
So vacations in St. Barts soon would be near;

Katrina kids were nestled all snug in motel beds,
While visions of school and home danced in their heads;
In Iraq our soldiers needed supplies and a plan,
Plus nuclear weapons were being built in Iran;

Gas prices shot up, consumer confidence fell;
Americans feared we were on a fast track to…well…
Wait--- we need a distraction--- something divisive and wily;
A fabrication straight from the mouth of O’Reilly

We can pretend that Christmas is under attack
Hold a vote to save it--- then pat ourselves on the back;
Silent Night, First Noel, Away in the Manger
Wake up Congress, they’re in no danger!

This time of year we see Christmas every where we go,
From churches, to homes, to schools, and yes…even Costco;
What we have is an attempt to divide and destroy,
When this is the season to unite us with joy

At Christmas time we’re taught to unite,
We don’t need a made-up reason to fight
So on O’Reilly, on Hannity, on Coulter, and those right wing blogs;
You should just sit back, relax…have a few egg nogs!

‘Tis the holiday season: enjoy it a pinch
With all our real problems, do we honestly need another Grinch?
So to my friends and my colleagues I say with delight,
A merry Christmas to all,
and to Bill O’Reilly…Happy Holidays.

Is There 'Marketing' in Science?

"Elucidating a nonapoptotic role for caspase activity in T cell function: a link to NF-kappaB activation"

That's the title of the seminar today. Ok, I have a pretty good superficial knowledge of what the seminar is going to be about. I also know that understanding cell signaling is extremely important, especially in the development of new drugs. But damn! Isn't there a happy medium between letting your audience know what you are going to talk about and 'marketing' your science? Give me a good ole talk about the in vivo effects of such and such a pathogen and I am definitely happy.

Wind Farms or Not?

The construction of giant wind farms in Northern NY has been an issue of interest to me. It seems that harvest of energy from wind is a win-win situation for everyone from capitalist to environmentalist. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case. It has been an extremely volatile issue among some in the Malone, NY area. Here the concern is mainly one of effects of giant wind turbines on health. Sound and 'flicker' being the main issues.

This morning there is a NYT editorial on the issue written by Robert Kennedy Jr., who happens to be an environmental lawyer. He is opposed to the construction of a wind farm in Nantucket Sound and offers many reasons why. I agree that the waters under the wind farm should not be privatized and there should not be huge government subsidies to make the farm economically feasible. But I'm getting pretty sick of people worrying about the effects of the wind turbines on 'views'. Ok, I don't want them located in national parks or on the tops of mountains in the Adirondack Park. But give me a break, environmentalist have to give a little. I'm also very very skeptical concerning the issue of wind turbine effects on health. There is very little experimental evidence for this.

Misinformation or a Lie?

President Bush constantly claims that congress saw the same intelligence information that he saw in the runup to the Iraq War. Turns out not to be true, which anyone with half a brain already knew. Now the lie is verified by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service here.

Goods From Kenya

Julia is finally home! She brought lots of stuff. See?





That's maybe half of it.

Current Conservative Philosophy

I got this from a blogger on Political Animal. He posts under the name 'bellumregio'. I think it's an awesome summary of how the conservative currently in power think and act.

1. Republican Party doctrine = American values

2. There are no universal human values beyond the values recognized and sanctioned by the Party. If there were than there could a moral human position AGAINST the Party and that is illogical since the Party embodies morality.

3. related to this is the belief that the group represented by the Party- the true Americans- are beyond good and evil. Whatever is done in the name of the True Americans and for the Nation is justified. Atrocities committed by Saddam Hussein are evil but atrocities committed by the United States cannot be evil. This is logical because the Party represents the moral order. Americans do not torture. Amnesty International, international courts, the Red Cross, the United Nations- these are all irrelevant and obstructionist because they are predicated on the belief that there are universal values outside of the Party and beyond the Nation.

4. Patriots are selfless men and women who are not interested in their own prestige but the prestige of the Party and the True American nation. Europeans and Canadians are failures. They are irrelevant. The Power of the Party and the true American Nation do not need to value their opinions. Only the powerful matter.

5. The Party is always winning. The leaders are always correct. Loss is the failure of those outside the Party- usually the traitors within the borders of the state or within the Party. The ideology of the Party is always aware of the undying power of the enemy although the enemy, by definition, is always too weak. This contradiction cannot be resolved.

6. All of history is the relation of power units. All life is a struggle. Detente and pacifism are trafficking with the enemy.

7. All truth is in accordance with the Party. Facts are irrelevant. Whatever the progress of the war in Iraq, whatever the course of history, whatever the motivations of the actors- all flows into the narrative of the Party and the success of the True Nation.

8. “From the viewpoint of an organization which functions according to the principle that whoever is not included is excluded, whoever is not with me is against me, the world at large loses all the nuances, differentiations, and pluralistic aspects which had in any event become confusing and unbearable to the masses which had lost their place and their orientation in it.”

Actually was written by Hannah Arendt Origins of Totalitarianism 1958

War on Science

Alan I. Leshner, chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, says that at no point in his adult lifetime has he seen attacks on science, and on the universities that perform science, that are as serious as those today. While modern American history has had plenty of “blips” in the relationship between science and religion, there is a “substantial tension” today that is dangerous, Leshner says.

I sure believe this to be the case today. The fundies and conservatives are using higher education as a whipping boy even more than usual. It's a good way to divert attention from all their unsuccessful policies. Conservatives hate free thinking people because they are dangerous to their cause. You must see the emperor as clothed, not naked.

Neat little tune I found on the internet by Don Wise

sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic")

My bones proclaim a story of incompetent design.
My back still hurts, my sinus clogs, my teeth just won’t align.
If I had drawn the blueprint, I would cer-tain-ly resign.
Incompetent Design!
Evo-Evo-Evo-lution! Design is but a mere illusion.
Darwin sparked our revolution. Science SHALL prevail!

War on Christmas After All!

Holiday greeting cards sent out by President Bush and Gov. Jeb Bush did not mention Christmas. Why do these guys hate Christmas?

How Did I Become a Bleeding Heart Liberal?

I'm not sure. I was brought up in moderately conservative family. I spent 12 yrs in Catholic school being taught about Jesus, Love, social justice and being told that JFK is great. That might have played a role subconciously. I attended a 'liberal arts' college during the Vietnam War and I'm sure that had something to do with it. An unjust draft system certainly had something to do with it. I'm pretty sure we would have more liberals right now if we still had a draft. When I was first eligible to vote, at 21 yrs, I voted for Richard Nixon (not the second time though). I put up with 4 yrs of being around conservative Navy guys (not all of them were), but was still anti-war during my entire tour. I think what has turned me from being a liberal to a bleeding heart, leftist, commie, pinko liberal is 5 yrs of good ole G. W. Bush and a mindless republican controlled government. I'm still trying to analyze why I'm such a liberal. Maybe because I believe in our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I'll dwell on it some more.

I Feel So Dirty Now!

Vice President Dick 'FU' Cheney was over at Ft. Drum lying to our troops today. The thought of him being so close (about 100 mi.) makes me feel all icky. Ft. Drum will need a heavy downpour to wash the stain of 'torture boy' away. How can such an obvious draft dodger even appear before our troops?

UPDATE:
One good think about the Cheney visit to Ft. Drum, all the soldiers got issued the new ACU (Army Combat Uniform). There was a huge rush getting these uniforms to the soldiers in time for the VP visit. The soldiers weren't scheduled to get the new uniforms for months.

Grant Money Available!!!

From the NYT:

The Templeton Foundation, a major supporter of projects seeking to reconcile science and religion, says that after providing a few grants for conferences and courses to debate intelligent design, they asked proponents to submit proposals for actual research.

"They never came in," said Charles L. Harper Jr., senior vice president at the Templeton Foundation, who said that while he was skeptical from the beginning, other foundation officials were initially intrigued and later grew disillusioned.

It's really hard disguising your 'hokum' as science once people start evaluating it by scientific criteria. Intelligent Design folks can't seem to come up with any experiments to test their 'theory'.

Defines An Adirondacker

Suggest a title for this.

Are We Safer? - Another Promise Broken?

"It's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today, on Nov. 2, we make the right choice, because if we make the wrong choice then the danger is that we'll get hit again and we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States," Cheney told supporters at a town-hall meeting Tuesday. "And then we'll fall back into the pre-9/11 mindset, if you will, that in fact these terrorist attacks are just criminal acts and that we're not really at war. I think that would be a terrible mistake for us."

Not according to the 9/11 commission. Police, firemen and government workers still have no common reserved radio frequencies with which to communicate during a disaster. Homeland Security funds are handed out like candy to those that don't have a high risk of a terrorist attack. Our intelligence agencies still cannot easily share information. Katrina proved that this administration is imcompetent. Do we need yet another terrorist attack to futher prove their imcompetency?

Iraq War Profiteering

Anyone hear about the $10 million dollar bat mitzvah party for a 13 yr old girl? She and 300 of her best friends (who has 300 best friends?) were entertained by 50 Cents (reportedly one-half million for 30 min act), Aerosmith, Kenny G., Stevie Nicks and hosted by Tom Petty. It was held for the daughter of David H. Brooks, CEO of DHB Industries. DHB Industries produces bulletproof vests but evidently not very good ones. Over 5000 of the vests were recalled last May because they did not meet contract specification (i.e. bullets evidently went through them). This guy made $70 million dollars in 2004 and sold DHB stock for another $186 million dollars. As of Nov. 21, 18,000 more vests have been recalled. How do people like this live with themselves?